Uncompensated care sits at the center of today’s hospital finance challenges, and BESLER has built deep expertise around helping providers capture, report, and get reimbursed for these often‑overlooked costs. By aligning DSH, S‑10, and bad debt strategies, BESLER positions hospitals to receive their appropriate share of the national uncompensated care pool while maintaining strict compliance.
What is Uncompensated Care?
Uncompensated care generally refers to the costs of providing care for which a hospital is not fully paid, most commonly charity care, non‑Medicare bad debt, and other indigent care. For hospitals that treat a high proportion of low‑income or uninsured patients, these costs can represent a significant share of total operating expense and directly affect long‑term financial stability.
Why Uncompensated Care Matters Now
Regulatory changes have shifted 75% of traditional DSH payments into a model consisting of uncompensated care for payments, making accurate reporting a major driver of Medicare reimbursement. CMS now uses a hospital’s reported uncompensated care—primarily through Worksheet S‑10—to determine how much of the national uncompensated care pool each eligible hospital receives.
The Common Elements: DSH, S‑10, and Medicare Bad Debt
BESLER emphasizes that DSH, S‑10, and Medicare bad debt cannot be managed in isolation, because the Medicare Cost Report integrates these elements to calculate uncompensated care reimbursement. A coordinated strategy is required to ensure that all eligible charity care charges and non‑Medicare bad debt are captured, documented, and reported correctly.
How BESLER Supports Uncompensated Care
BESLER’s uncompensated care reimbursement services focus on capturing and validating all eligible patient days for DSH, charity and total bad debt for S‑10, and Medicare bad debt that belong on the Medicare Cost Report. Using specialized reimbursement expertise and proprietary technology, BESLER reviews data, supporting exhibits, and policies to improve accuracy and uncover missed opportunities in uncompensated care reporting.
Education, Insights, and Webinars
BESLER extends its leadership in this space through podcasts, on‑demand education, and special reports that unpack the evolution and mechanics of uncompensated care. In 2026, BESLER is offering a dedicated “Uncompensated Care” Webinar Series to help healthcare finance professionals understand the latest rules, best practices, and documentation expectations that influence how much of the uncompensated care pool they receive.
Register for our first Webinar in the series, Uncompensated Care Series – Overview, live on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 1 PM ET. You can earn CPE (via NASBA).
